A Long Way to Carlisle, part 3: Reward, not punish

On this photo, I went to 8th grade.

I have grown up since the tv-thing, I've got my own kids, I've studied psychology, among several other subjects at the university, trained horses, and worked as a teacher myself.

I know that now, that if a child / a pupil / a horse do not do what you tell him or her to do, or what you want him or her to do, but suddenly do something right, a very little doing in the right direction, you should reward the child. From that, the individual will know in what direction, you wish him or her to go.

If you, instead, tell him or her: Okay, it's like this, you haven't done your homework, so do not show up now...  you have probably lost your pupil's interest in you quite a bit, you have made it harder for yourself. To get back on track, you need a new pedagogic method.

My teacher did't succeed getting me back on track. Not that she tried - really. According to my teacher in 7th, 8th and 9th grade, she really tried doing as much harm as she could up til end of her time as my teacher, by telling my new teacher a lot of bullshit about her pupils at the handing over-talk.